What a great Labor Day weekend! What a great summer! We have had a blast and quite a run of good news and fun times. And you know what? It’s about time we focused on the good news in our lives and counted our blessings.
How about you? Are you ready to sit down and make your list of the good things in your life? We sure do get bombarded with negativity on a daily basis, so how about taking time to write down all the great things that are happening in your life? Write down even the smallest of successes, victories, and happy moments.
Come on, get out the pen and paper and get started. Just do it!
Our oldest kid has a new job in medical sales back in my hometown and an apartment on Mount Washington with an amazing view overlooking downtown Pittsburgh. Our oldest son is working in the hi-tech sector in San Francisco for a great company and having a ball. Our youngest is playing on the varsity golf team at State High.
Our niece Shannon just got married in a storybook wedding to her high school sweetheart (both Penn State grads); our nephew Eric and wife Ashley recently had their first child; our good friends Steve and Susan Sampsell just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary (and renewed their wedding vows at their tailgate near the Creamery); and our good friend Rod Kirsch is retiring and was just honored for his 20 years of service to Penn State. They don’t come any better than Rod and Mitch Kirsch and it was an honor to be a part of his recognition.
My parents were able to come and visit us for the weekend to attend the PSU football game and we were able to treat my 85-year-old father and 96-year-old Grandpa Smith to the Spikes game (a record crowd of 6,111 and a franchise record 49th win). Former PSU Icer Loren Remetta and his wife Noelle (also a PSU alum) brought their three kids all the way from London for the football game, to show their kids the campus, and to catch up with old friends. The weekend ended with a father and son golf match with friends Scott and Chris Good.
Is everything in our lives perfect? Of course not. We have our share of challenges just like most of you.The difference here is in attitude and perspective. Why waste energy on things you cannot control?
Are you tired of the ‘If it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead’ mentality among the media? You ever reach the point where you just get tired of hearing nothing but bad news? Do you find yourself actually wanting to hear all the bad news so you have something to gripe about for the sake of griping? Misery does love company after all.
Life is tough enough without all the death and destruction that we see every day on the news and on social media. Not that I don’t care that an overcrowded ferry turned over in some faraway place or that a tidal wave struck an island in the Pacific. I feel badly when I hear about such tragedies but is it really going to make a difference in my life to worry about such things? Do I need to know about every murder, train wreck, robbery, and natural disaster? The answer is no.
Don’t misinterpret my meaning here. If the tragedy is big enough or a cause is near and dear to my heart, then by all means I will do what I can financially and/or to volunteer to provide support. The point is there is just so much bad happening in the world that we cannot control and it is just a click away on social media. Is it really necessary to fill your head (and heart) with every piece of bad news that is reported?
One of the best things I learned from my experiences working with Terry and Kim Pegula was this: ‘We can do anything we want to do, we just can’t do everything we want to do.’ So while most of us would love to save all the folks in misery all over the world, it is simply impossible.
I will try to make people in my small part of the world happier and safer. In the meantime I have decided I don’t really need to know the daily weather forecast in Rome (unless I am planning a vacation there!) or that there was a corrupt politician arrested in Argentina.
So I am making the effort in my life to focus on the good things, help those I can, and stop taking myself so seriously.
For example, a couple of weeks ago my wife and I spent a Friday night with Steve and Susan Sampsell at Tussey Mountain’s ‘Movie on the Mountain.” The movie was 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” with Patrick Swayze and Jenifer Grey. Heidi and I loved that movie. It was our movie, and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” was our song. As we watched the film with about 400 others, it seemed so corny this time. But that’s OK because it was still fun and the crowd loved it, singing along for many of the songs.
Then came the final dance’s ‘lift’ scene. For those of you who have seen the movie, you know what I am talking about. Heidi and I used to actually practice it in the pool and at Whipple Dam State Park. Of course, I was just a tad stronger then and it was before my wife gave birth three times, so these days that would just not be in the cards. But it was a great reminder of fun times from the past and we enjoyed every moment of it.
Do yourself a favor and just turn off the bad news for a day and instead focus on all the good news in your life and the good news happening with family, friends, or in the world. If there isn’t enough “good stuff” in your life, create some.
